Office Hours with David Meltzer

Dylan Smith Dylan Smith, a 23-year-old CEO, is passionately committed to serving and supporting individuals who face challenges similar to those he encountered in his childhood. Adopted twice and misdiagnosed with ADHD when he actually had dyslexia, Dylan's journey has been marked by resilience and determination. Despite not attending college, he has built a successful business and now travels acr...

Igor Buchatskiy Buchatskiy is an accomplished executive leader with a proven record of driving growth and innovation across FMCG, agribusiness, and food production industries. With extensive experience as a CEO, VP, founder, and former strategic consultant at McKinsey and Bain, he has led organizations to achieve significant top- and bottom-line success. Known for his strategic vision and hands-on...

Jill Robin Payne Jill Robin Payne, MA, LPC-S, LCDC, is a licensed professional counselor with more than 40 years of experience in the mental health field. She is dedicated to helping individuals form deeper, more meaningful connections through effective communication. With a background in psychology and recreational therapy, Jill's mission is to equip people with the tools they need to navigate li...

Melissa Bernstein Melissa Bernstein is an entrepreneur, creative visionary, and mother of six, best known as the cofounder of Melissa & Doug, a billion-dollar toy company, and Lifelines, a wellness brand that offers sensory products designed to reduce stress and promote well-being. She also serves as the Entrepreneur in Residence for the Inner MBA certification program—created by Sounds True,...

Kim Mack Kimberly (Kim) Mack is the Founder and Principal of HR Reinforced, bringing over 30 years of Human Resources leadership experience across industries such as life sciences, finance, SaaS, and private equity. Known for elevating HR from a support function to a strategic business driver, she partners with executives and founders to build people-focused systems that enhance growth, strengthen...

Felida Villarreal Felida Villarreal is the President and CEO of the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA), a nonprofit that helps low-income and underemployed residents of the Rio Grande Valley train for high-demand, high-wage careers. VIDA offers industry-focused education, financial assistance, and career support for adult learners, including parents and first-generation stude...

Michelle Zahoransky Founded in 1995 as a homework assignment at Hodges University, Michelle Zahoransky’s MaidPro franchise has grown into one of the top-performing home service businesses in the country. Under her leadership, it has become the highest revenue producer in the MaidPro franchise network, expanding into two new divisions that offer carpet, upholstery, tile, and window cleaning service...

John Whitt John is a certified business and executive coach trained in the FocalPoint Model, where he helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and leaders achieve lasting success through the power of Generous Activity—a philosophy that blends business growth with purposeful giving. His coaching emphasizes that generosity, when integrated into business strategy, not only fuels profitability but...

Dr. Jason R. Williams Dr. Jason R. Williams is the Founder and Director of Interventional Oncology and Immunotherapy at the Williams Cancer Institute, where he leads groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment. A board-certified radiologist, researcher, and professor, Dr. Williams is internationally recognized as a pioneer in immunotherapy, particularly in the field of intra-tumoral interventi...

Cas Holman Cas Holman is the founder and chief designer of Heroes Will Rise , a global toy company known for imaginative playsets like Rigamajig , used by organizations such as Google, Disney Imagineering, and the LEGO Foundation. A former Professor of Industrial Design at RISD, her work has inspired teams at leading companies like Nike and been featured in spaces such as NYC’s High Line and the L...

Ismael Wrixen Ismael Wrixen is the CEO of ThriveCart, a leading no-code sales platform that powers over 65,000 businesses and has generated more than $6 billion in sales. With over 15 years of experience in finance, technology, and entrepreneurship, he has built and scaled multiple ventures alongside co-founder Thomas Smale. At ThriveCart, Wrixen focuses on creating simple, scalable tools—includin...

Pam Meissner Pam Meissner, CFO and COO of Cathcap, is widely recognized as a “profitability detective” who helps entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs uncover hidden profit opportunities and build systems that drive clarity, cash flow, and growth. A CPA who forged her own unconventional path beyond traditional accounting, she has spent decades guiding leaders across industries from legal to manufactur...

Ricky Blair Ricky Blair is a British entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader in education, leadership, and youth development. Renowned for his 100% staff retention rate, Ricky later advised Colliers’ global leadership team on employee engagement and retention strategies. His expertise also earned him an invitation to 10 Downing Street in 2014 to advise then–Prime Minister David Cameron on entrep...

Lee Barkalow Lee Barkalow is the Co-Founder and CEO of The CurEnt Group (TCG), a company dedicated to creating exceptional cultural, entertainment, and travel experiences for private clients and global brands. Before launching TCG, he built and successfully exited a hospitality company and later co-founded NOVA, a members-only lifestyle community that operates alongside TCG. With a career foundati...

BAM Franklin Bryan, also known as BAM, is the Founder and CTO of BAM.eco, an innovative e-commerce and advertising platform modeled after an Amazon FBM franchise. A lifelong entrepreneur and visionary, he has built ventures focused on collaboration and community empowerment, including BAMcircle.net, a wealth-sharing network, and CrenshawBoulevard.com, where he’s known as the “Mayor of Crenshaw.” C...

Ken Belson Ken Belson rejoined The New York Times’s Business section in 2023 to write about the business of sports after spending 14 years in the Sports department, primarily covering the N.F.L. Belson reports on the teams and personalities of the N.F.L., including finances, stadiums, medical issues, lawsuits and more. He lives in New York with his wife. You can follow him @el_belson on X. Scott A...

Jim Eckes With decades of experience in telecom, Jim Eckes is the leader of TieTechnology, where he focuses on building custom VoIP phone solutions to help businesses better serve their customers. He has built a career on creating meaningful partnerships and leveraging his expertise to bring legacy telecom systems into the future. Jim is also reinventing the customer experience by integrating tele...

George Cray George Cray, founder of GCH Technologies, has spent his career shaping the evolution of telecom—from landlines to cellular and now AI. Through his company, he focuses on strengthening the digital infrastructure that keeps businesses running, customers connected, and data secure, turning often unseen technology into indispensable progress. Luca Zambello Luca Zambello is the Founder and...

Dylan Smith Dylan Smith, a 23-year-old CEO, is passionately committed to serving and supporting individuals who face challenges similar to those he encountered in his childhood. Adopted twice and misdiagnosed with ADHD when he actually had dyslexia, Dylan's journey has been marked by resilience and determination. Despite not attending college, he has built a successful business and now travels acr...

Rome Madison Rome Madison is a dynamic speaker, author, and podcaster who empowers people to build confidence, overcome fear, and pursue bold goals with unwavering determination. A pioneer in the precision medicine industry, he draws on his experience leading startups, navigating corporate challenges, and shaping the future of healthcare. Raised on welfare in Texas, Rome’s relentless drive led him...

Victor Bornstein Victor Bornstein, co-founder and CEO of Justpoint, is on a mission to add five billion healthy years to the global population by eliminating hidden toxins in everyday products. Through Justpoint’s AI-enabled consumer protection platform, his team identifies toxic exposures, empowers families affected by harmful products, and drives industries toward safer standards using science,...

Chris Gillett Chris Gillett, a former top-rated attorney turned acclaimed headshot photographer and expression coach, helps high-achieving professionals convey confidence, warmth, and authenticity through powerful visual storytelling. After one bad headshot inspired him to leave law, Chris built a career guiding leaders—including former Presidents of Shell North America—to project credibility and...

Monika Guzek Monika Guzek is a globally recognized Leadership Coach, Intercultural Trainer, and Crisis Consultant who has guided leaders from 68 countries across five continents. Raised in post-communist Poland, she overcame cultural and professional barriers to become a trusted advisor to global brands such as EY, Unilever, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz. She blends evidence-based coaching with innova...

Patrick Quirk Patrick Quirk is a corporate executive recognized for building resilient, agile, and profitable organizations, from startups to global enterprises, through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and strong cross-functional collaboration. His leadership emphasizes customer focus, cost-effective delivery, and long-term sustainability. Beyond executive management, he is an expert i...

Nathan Strum Nathan Strum, CEO of Abby Connect, believes customer service workers are uniquely positioned to thrive in the AI economy rather than be replaced by it. He argues that people with strong interpersonal skills are naturally equipped to train, supervise, and customize AI systems—without needing a college degree. With an economic slowdown causing concern in the service sector, he emphasize...